Maria Sharapova news

The best stick with the best. Jelena Jankovic, the world’s number one tennis player on the women’s tour, is to be represented as of 2009 by the IMG sports, entertainment and media company, which has contracts with some of the finest individuals from the world of tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and James Blake.

The best stick with the best. Jelena Jankovic, the world’s number one tennis player on the women’s tour, is to be represented as of 2009 by the IMG sports, entertainment and media company, which has contracts with some of the finest individuals from the world of tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and James Blake.

The best stick with the best. Jelena Jankovic, the world’s number one tennis player on the women’s tour, is to be represented as of 2009 by the IMG sports, entertainment and media company, which has contracts with some of the finest individuals from the world of tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and James Blake.

Ana Ivanovic has denied her Australian Open campaign is in disarray after being wiped off Pat Rafter Arena by an evergreen Amelie Mauresmo.

Like fellow Serb and tournament top seed Novak Djokovic, Ivanovic bombed out of the Brisbane International meekly with a 6-3 6-2 upset loss to 29-year-old Mauresmo on Thursday.

The world No.5 was expected to sweep past the Frenchwoman, who had made tough work of her first two clashes against Jelena Dokic and compatriot Julie Coin, but it was Mauresmo who shone in the 67-minute quarterfinal.

Aaustralian Open tournament director Craig Tiley says he is confident Maria Sharapova will attempt to defend her title.

Tiley said his most recent information from Sharapova's camp increased his belief she would be at Melbourne Park, despite having played just one match since July because of shoulder surgery.

Sharapova disclosed last week she had only been hitting balls since December 15 on a short-order preparation in Florida dictated by the persistent shoulder injury which required an arthroscope in October.

No. 1 Ranked Tennis Star Chooses IMG for Exclusive, Worldwide Management and Marketing Representation

Global sports and entertainment company IMG today announced that international tennis star, winner of the mixed doubles at Wimbledon 2007 alongside partner Jamie Murray and the No. 1 ranked player on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Jelena Jankovic, has signed with the company for exclusive, worldwide marketing and management representation effective January 1, 2009. Jankovic, 23, will also join IMG Models, the world's No. 1 international model management firm.

World number one Jelena Jankovic and Wimbledon champion Venus Williams top the bill at this week's World Team Challenge as the players gear up for the season's opening Grand Slam.

The Hong Kong event, which sees teams from four regions battling for the trophy, also includes China's top player Zheng Jie and Indian superstar Sania Mirza, who is recovering from serious injury.

Top-ranked Serbian Jankovic, captaining the European team, said she was looking forward to getting on the courts in Hong Kong as she bids to break her Grand Slam duck at the upcoming Australian Open.

So many things happened in 2008 that kept tennis fans on the edge of their seats, biting their finger nails, and desperately wanting more.

With a name as unwieldy as her disposition, Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva was once considered the wild child of tennis.

As a 14-year-old, she once threatened to kick Maria Sharapova’s “butt off” because of a perceived slight during practice.

But Karatantcheva, 15-year-old French Open quarter-finalist in 2005, is more commonly known for becoming the first woman to be suspended for steroid use.

The then 16-year-old tried to blame the positive test on being pregnant.

The first Women's Tennis Association rankings of 2009 showed on Monday an unchanged top 10 still dominated by Russian players.

Serbia's Jelena Jankovic tops the weekly list, followed by Serena Williams of the United States, but then Russian women take six of the next nine slots. Dinara Safina is third and Elena Dementieva fourth, followed by Vera Zvonareva in seventh, Svetlana Kuznetsova eighth and Maria Sharapova ninth.

Nadia Petrova is still knocking on the door of the top 10 in eleventh spot.

Bulgarian teenager Sesil Karatantcheva took another step towards rehabilitation when she qualified for the main draw of the Brisbane International.

Serbian stunner Ana Ivanovic is solely focused on a return to No.1 with a hot start to 2009 in Australia rather than pushing her claims as world sport’s glamour girl.

Ivanovic will officially kick-start her campaign Down Under on Monday night when she plays her first-round match at the inaugural Brisbane International.

The tournament drawcard will face Czech teenager Petra Kvitova, the world No.50, at Pat Rafter Arena after the centre court was set aside for her in the opening night session almost a week ago.

Top seed Elena Dementieva is hoping a good week at the ASB Classic, which begins in Auckland today, will lead to a change of tennis fortunes in the year's first Grand Slam.

Dementieva, the world No.4, is the highest ranked player in the Classic's history.

After Auckland, she heads to Sydney next week in her final build-up before the Australian Open in a fortnight.

The Victorian capital is the only Grand Slam venue where Dementieva, a finalist at the French and the US Open in 2004, has failed to reach at least the last four.

Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic will meet Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in the first round of the Brisbane International.

The reigning French Open champion, who has been training in Australia for the past three weeks, was drawn Saturday to play Kvitova in a center-court match at the new Pat Rafter Arena on Monday.

Former world's No. 1 Ivanovic, 21, lost to Maria Sharapova in last year's Australian Open final.

"I really want to take it one step further this time and hopefully win it," Ivanovic, now ranked fifth, said Saturday.

Ana Ivanovic says she has unfinished business in Australia, starting with Monday night's first assignment at the Brisbane International.

Ivanovic, runner-up in last year's Australian Open, yesterday drew Czech left-hander Petra Kvitova in the first round at the Queensland Tennis Centre and should have few problems with the world No.59.

But there are bigger challenges ahead, such as avenging last year's Australian Open final loss to Maria Sharapova.